


buy one get one

by Hydra_Trash_Gal



Series: Mission: Becoming Winter [1]
Category: Captain America, The Avengers
Genre: Angst, Assets & Handlers, Canon-Typical Violence, Feels, Jack Rollins - Freeform, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, asset!bucky, brock rumlow - Freeform, mentions of abuse, mentions of torture, past Stucky pining, sad Steve, winteriron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 06:57:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17178074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hydra_Trash_Gal/pseuds/Hydra_Trash_Gal
Summary: the Soldier has a mission of the upmost importance within the Tower and Steve Rogers is absolutely trying to ruin itorthe one where the asset gives back





	buy one get one

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fic on here. Please let me know what you think.

The man-in-the-walls told the Soldier Tony Stark was unavailable. That was good, the Soldier felt wildly unprepared for the self-directed mission.

It set it's own objective, it's own parameters. The Soldier was used to waiting and standing still for hours at a time while awaiting a Target. It did just that — waited. Several times the man-in-the-wall reminded him. "Master Stark is not here," he told the Soldier again and again and the Soldier did not care. 

It had a mission and it had to complete it. Maybe it would make up for the last failed mission, the one that made the Soldier's throat feel raw. It probably wouldn't. Steve Rogers was it's new Handler and nothing would change that.

The elevator chimed and the Soldier's sniper eyes looked hopefully in that direction but no, it was the Handler. "Whatcha up to Buck?" Steve Rogers always spoke to it so tenderly, like it was easy frightened.

"Classified." Because it decided it would be. Steve Rogers said 'Bucky' (what he called it) should make it's own choices.

Steve nodded his head slowly, seemingly mulling it over. "Okay. Can I help?"

Steve Rogers always wanted to help and that made the Soldier's chest hurt. It made the Soldier think of a boney blonde man. That man was not Steve Rogers though he tried to insist it was. Handlers liked to deceive the Soldier — it was gullible once but not anymore because it had decided not to be. Steve Rogers said 'Bucky' could make it's own choices. It chose not to pretend. 

"Negative."

Steve sighed and offered him a tired smile. "Is it your arm?"

The Soldier's arm was operating at 87% which was completely acceptable. The Soldier did not like the constant pressure of Steve Rogers' questions so it decided to ignore him. Steve Rogers said 'Bucky' could make it's own choices. It was choosing to pretend Steve wasn't there. 

Steve sat down beside it and told the Soldier 'it'll be a while' but that was fine. The Soldier could wait for a long time. Steve Rogers spoke to the man-in-the-wall and recruited Natalia to the effort of destroying the Soldier's mission. She too tried to pry the classified mission information from it, in Russian and the Soldier ignored her too. She shrugged her shoulders and called him 'James'. The Soldier decided that wasn't a codename it wanted to go by. Steve Rogers said 'Bucky' could make it's own decisions. It was deciding what name it liked. 

"He won't be back for two days Bucky," Steve Rogers said to it, sounding exasperated. "You can come back up then."

No, the Soldier had a mission. It would not leave. Steve Rogers said 'Bucky' should make it's own choices. It was deciding not to leave. And two days was nothing; the Soldier had waited for targets for longer periods on the regular when sniping. "Bucky?" Steve Rogers smiled at it, thin and tired. "Let's go back to our floor and eat some dinner okay? You've been up here all day."

The Soldier did not abandon it's mission and Steve Rogers took it upon himself to see it through completion. In the 37 hour span (not two days, Steve Rogers has lied. The Soldier wondered what other lies he had told it to achieve his own goals) Steve Rogers snorted himself awake twice and departed for a few hours at spontaneous intervals when Natalia oversaw it until finally Tony Stark appeared.

Steve Rogers lurched to his feet seeming haggard. "Hey Tony, Buck has a mission!" 

The Soldier would never allow Steve Rogers to accompany it on a mission of meaning, he did not know what 'classified' meant. "That's what Jarvis tells me," Tony Stark took off his sunglasses. He bore a striking resemblance to something that picked at the Solider's mind. It wasn't important though. Just the mission. "What can I help you with Bucky?"

The Soldier's body felt creaky and aching from standing still for so long but it relished in it. It reached into the soft lining of its sweatwrshirt pocket — the sweatshirt that was soft inside that Tony Stark had gotten for the Soldier. 

It held out the Buy One Get One Free. Tony Stark was wealthy and intelligent and had given the Soldier everything. Tony Stark peered at it and Steve Rogers reached for it. The Soldier held out it's metal hand to stop him. "You waited here all this time to give me this?" Tony Stark regarded the Soldier with suspicion.

It was the same suspicion it gave the one-winged-man who gave it the Buy One Get One Free. It had never had something of it's own that Tony Stark didn't give it. It needed to give something back. "Protective barrier intact," the Soldier's voice was rough from lack of use and hydration. "Sam Wilson said 'here, you can have it Bucky. Buy One Get One Free'. You have given me everything. This is the only thing I have. You should have it. Please." 

Steve Rogers had begged it to drink water from the bottle. Steve Rogers said 'Bucky' could make it's own choices. It chose not to drink. 

Tony Stark was quiet and Steve Rogers' exhaled in an anguished tone. "Thank you." Tony Stark took the Buy One Get One Free. He looked at it for a moment. "Thank you."

"Thank you Tony Stark," the Soldier said.

It felt the weight rise off it's chest and went to the elevator so the man-in-the-walls would bring it back to it's Handler's floor. It would wait at the table until Steve Rogers fed and watered it and then it would rest. 

Mission: complete.

Tony looked toward Steve who was glaring at the floor. "It doesn't mean anything," Tony said but his voice caught a bit. "He...thought he owed me is all."

"Yeah," Steve said, voice harsh and not at all convinced. "Enjoy the gum."

Tony Stark nodded.


End file.
